Griffth officially signs with Notre Dame
BUTLER TWP — If momentum truly exists in sports, Drew Griffith definitely has it.
Coming off a cross country season that saw him avenge the only race he didn’t win, the Butler senior recently signed a letter of intent to continue his academic and running career at Notre Dame.
Griffith won the WPIAL and PIAA cross country titles this past fall before finishing second to Ringgold’s Ryan Pajak at the Northeast Regional in Boston.
He then beat out runner-up Pajak to win the Foot Locker High School National Championship in San Diego.
“The coaching and the (cross country/track and field) program at Notre Dame are outstanding,” Griffith said of his decision to join the Fighting Irish. “They have a good school for my major, too.”
Griffith, ranked fifth academically in his senior class of 417, plans to major in aerospace engineering.
In joining Notre Dame, he will reunite with former Butler teammate C.J. Singleton, who is a sophomore there this year. Pajak is headed to Notre Dame as well.
The Fighting Irish finished fourth as a team at the Great Lakes Regional and 14th at nationals. Notre Dame’s women’s XC team took fourth place at nationals.
“I’m used to running against top competition and I’ll be pushed at Notre Dame every day,” Griffith said. “There is so much talent there. It’s only going to make me better.”
Griffith also considered Stanford, Wake Forest and Virginia before deciding on Notre Dame.
“It’s a perfect fit for him,” Butler cross country coach Rick Davanzati said. “They’re bringing in a number of top-level recruits. Drew is going to blend in there well.”
Butler track and field coach Mike Seybert said Griffith will answer the challenge of succeeding at the next level.
“Drew knows how to train and work out on his own,” Seybert said. “He always keeps his energy up. He’s a very focused athlete in terms of what he wants to accomplish.”
In that respect, Griffith’s high school running career isn’t over yet. He plans to join the Golden Tornado in time for part of the indoor track season, then compete with the outdoor team.
“I want to win a state title in the 3,200 (meters),” Griffith said. “Just keep on going.”
He hopes to help the distance medley relay team win a state crown during the indoor season as well,.
“At this point, it’s all about having fun for him,” Seybert said. “Drew has fun competing, in challenging himself. He’s as driven a runner as I’ve ever coached.”
Davanzati agreed.
“Nobody works harder than him, especially when he’s on his own,” the cross country coach said.
Griffith is looking forward to reuniting with Singleton at Notre Dame.
“We still run together whenever he’s home,” Griffith said. “Getting back to running and training with C.J. all the time ... I’m excited about that because he’s the one who really pushed me to another level.
“My (college) goals are the same for the team and as an individual. Get to nationals and win as many national titles as we can. Always shoot for the top.”
